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The Whiskey Sour has been an all-time favorite of mine for a while. It’s citrusy, slightly sweet, and boozy all at once. While common bartending shortcuts have given the cocktail a bad wrap, the drink is fantastic when classically made with fresh ingredients.
I know I’m not the only one to fall victim to a sickly sweet rendition of this classic cocktail made with sour mix. An authentic Whiskey Sour made with good bourbon, fresh citrus, balanced sweetness, and a frothy twist will leave you craving sip after sip.
Table of Contents
Brief History
The Whiskey Sour made its debut in 1862, within the pages of Jerry Thomas’ influential cocktail book, “How to Mix Drinks.” The recipe consisted of bourbon, fresh lemon juice, and simple sugar. Initially, it did not include egg whites. However, over time, the addition of egg whites became popular, leading to variations like the Boston Sour, New York Sour, and Gold Rush cocktail.
For this blog post, we’ll focus on the version with egg white, as it offers an undeniable frothy texture and adds so much character to the cocktail.
Looking for more delicious classic whiskey cocktails? Try the Sazerac, Improved Whiskey Cocktail, Old Fashioned cocktail, and Brown Derby cocktail!
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
- Bourbon: I like Elijah Craig or Larceny for this cocktail, however, your favorite bourbon should do the trick.
- Fresh lemon juice: always use fresh over concentrate. If you don’t have fresh lemons, I prefer ReaLemon juice when desperate.
- Simple syrup: a 1:1 blend of dissolved sugar and water. It’s easy to make at home in minutes using my simple syrup recipe.
- Egg white: egg white provides the silky frothy head. If you’re unsure of using raw eggs, try pasteurized eggs or liquid pasteurized egg whites. For a vegan alternative, substitute 1 ounce of aquafaba (chickpea water from a can of chickpeas). It’s flavorless and can be treated the same way as egg white.
- Luxardo cherry and orange wedge for garnish
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities below.
Expert Tips
- Cocktails with egg white should be shaken first without ice (dry shake) and then again with ice afterward. A dry shake helps break down the proteins in the egg white, resulting in a creamier and frothier texture with a thick head of foam.
- Always double-strain shaken cocktails through a fine mesh strainer. This removes tiny ice chips and also aerates the egg whites.
- Chill your glasses ahead of time in the freezer to keep your drinks cooler for longer. This is one of my favorite tricks in the summer.
- Shaking with larger ice cubes or ice chunks will prevent the ice from breaking down and producing small ice chips. This makes straining easier and enhances egg white foam and head retention.
Dry Shaking Egg Whites
Dry shaking is a technique of shaking cocktail ingredients with no ice. Dry shaking egg white will help break down the proteins in the egg and make it foamier and silky smooth. If you shake with ice first and only, it tends to dilute the egg whites and make them more watery.
Any cocktail with egg white should be shaken aggressively for a solid 20 seconds to whip up the egg, otherwise, it defeats the purpose.
Once the egg whites are frothy, add ice, give the cocktail a vigorous few shakes to chill, and double strain into your glass over ice. The egg white will float on the surface yielding a nice foamy crown. If you enjoy egg white cocktails, also try my tequila mezcal cocktail, Negroni Sour, or the New York Sour!
More Whiskey Cocktails
Enjoy this recipe? If you made this cocktail, please leave a ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ star rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments!
Whiskey Sour
Ingredients
- 2 ounces bourbon
- 3/4 ounce lemon juice
- 1/2-3/4 ounce simple syrup
- 1 egg white, or 1 ounce of aquafaba
- Luxardo cherry and orange wedge for garnish
Instructions
- Dry shake first: in a shaker, combine bourbon, lemon juice, simple syrup, and egg white. Shake vigorously, without ice, for 20 seconds. A dry shake helps break down the proteins in the egg white, resulting in a creamier and smoother texture.
- Add ice and shake for an additional 5-7 seconds.
- Double strain into a chilled old-fashioned glass over fresh ice or serve it straight up in a coupe glass.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Love this cocktail but I found that within the first 10-15 seconds of rigorous shake, it wanted to explode out of my shaker! I tried both the egg white and liquid egg white with the same result. But, I’d say I prefer the egg white right out of the shell, the liquid egg white made the cocktail more cloudy. Is there a trick to not have it push itself out of the shaker before you’re done shaking?
This is inevitable unfortunately. A very tight fitting lid helps. You can also shake the egg white alone and then add the remaining ingredients and shake to mix.